Randstad Canada celebrates volunteer efforts as 100th volunteer is placed in VSO partnership.
TORONTO, March 1, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Randstad Canada, the country's leader for staffing, recruitment and HR Services, celebrates its volunteer efforts as Randstad Holding N.V. reaches an important milestone and places its 100th volunteer in the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) program which matches volunteers' skills with the needs of communities in the developing world.
Since the campaign launched back in 2004, Randstad has encouraged its own employees to volunteer their time overseas as well as in their home countries. Randstad staff have been deployed on 6-week to 12-month assignments to support VSO's work in key areas of disability, education, health, HIV/AIDS, participation & governance and secure livelihoods.
Chantal van Marwijk, senior IT specialist in I-bridge's internet development team in the Netherlands, is the 100th person involved in the initiative. She is currently on assignment in Zanzibar, Tanzania, providing IT support to the Jambiani Tourism Training Institue.
Also currently volunteering overseas with VSO are Lorraine Novak and Venessa Vasilakeris. Hailing from Vancouver, Lorraine works as a senior market manager for Randstad Canada and has recently travelled to Zambia for six months, where she supports TALC (Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign) in their business development activities. While Venessa, a Staffing Consultant in Ontario, is currently in Tanzania for a year, returning in September 2012. She works in the Rubya Hospital in the Kagera region as an HR manager, designing and developing HR systems, coaching HR personnel, and addressing the HR needs of the hospital. You can follow Venessa's volunteer blog here: http://venessaintanzania.blogspot.com/
Randstad actively encourages its employees to take part in volunteering opportunities and helping to improve our communities. The Randstad Charitable foundation established in 2008 to provide employees from across the country with the opportunity, both through financial generosity and volunteer commitment, to enhance and support various charitable organizations including Breakfast Clubs of Canada, the Jennifer Ashleigh Children's Charity and Sky's the Limit. Employees are also given one full work day per calendar year to volunteer at the non-profit organization of their choice. The opportunities to get involved are endless.
Wendy Margolese, Accounting and Finance recruitment advisor for Randstad Canada, volunteered for VSO last year where she worked on many proposals for projects in Siavonga, Zambia to help reduce malnutrition in the local area and to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS prevention.
Margolese says her experience volunteering with VSO was an amazing way to give back while also getting so much back in return. "I always knew I wanted to volunteer and I have always been interested in learning about different cultures. It can be scary to make the decision to leave everything you know behind and leap into a new reality. Once I realized that Randstad would give me a chance to take this time away and give back in this way without losing my position, I realized I was crazy not to seize the opportunity... I feel forever changed by this experience and enriched in a way that's hard to describe," she says.
Dan Bryson, Senior Training Specialist for Randstad Canada and VSO Ambassador participated in the program in 2009, when he went to Indonesia to work with a local organization for people with diabilities called Lembaga InterAksi. There, he helped create an employment program and encouraged local companies to hire people with disabilities. "Volunteering is something that I would encourage everyone to do. Not only does it help to bring teams within a business together but it really does help the local community and in this case, the world at large. It really shows how much difference one person's time can certainly make." says Bryson. Read his blog here: www.solodiaries.blogspot.com
To find out more about Randstad Canada's volunteer programs and corporate social responsibility initiatives visit: http://www.randstad.ca/about/corporate_social_responsibility.aspx
About Randstad Canada: Randstad Canada is the Canadian leader for staffing, recruitment and HR Services. As the only fully integrated staffing company in the country, we understand the recruitment needs and demands of employers and job seekers across all levels and industries. Through our insightful knowledge of local markets, employment trends and global network of recruitment experts, we are shaping the Canadian world of work. Visit randstad.ca
About VSO: VSO is the world's leading independent international development organization that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. VSO's high-impact approach involves bringing people together to share skills, build capabilities, promote international understanding and action, and change lives to make the world a fairer place for all. See www.vsointernational.org for more information.
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Dayana Moreno
Marie-Noelle Morency
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